Flashlight bracket and holder



y '1939- B. F. 'MULDOON 2,159,932

7 FLASHLIGHT BRACKET AND HOLDER Filed March 26, 1936 M/{M INVENTOR 5" iJ 046 ZiTORNEYJ Patented May 23, 1939 TENT OFFHIE FLASHLIGHT' BRACKETAND HOLDER Bernard F. Muldoon, Mountain View, N. J., as-

signor to Henry Hyman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 26, 1936, Serial No. 70,947

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device by means of which a flashlight can besupported in various ways and in different positions. At the same time,the flashlight may be so supported that the 5 light thereof will bedirected to the desired place or in the desired direction. Adjustmentsmay be so made that the flashlight can be held at various angles onsurfaces such as a floor, or table, or a pavement, and the flashlightmay also be held by the same adjusting means in such a Way that thisadjusting means operates as a sup port or hanger for it. The flashlightmay be hung from a nail, ledge, belt or other support, or may beconveniently and readily carried about 15 by the user with either one ormore fingers and the light directed wherever desired.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection withthe accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of an il- 20lustrative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view atright angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view showing the device in anadjusted position; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pivoted or hingedmember that is attached to the flash- In the drawing, referencecharacter I indicates a flashlight casing, which may be of any of thewell-known sorts. It will be understood that the one indicated in thedrawing will have 30 a lamp bulb, reflector, etc., at one end and ascrew cap at the other end for convenience in removing and insertingbatteries. The present invention is preferably, although notnecessarily, used in connection with flashlights that have cas- 35 ingswith longitudinal corrugations therealong, as indicated by the referencecharacter 2. A typical push button for the flashlight is indicated at 3.

A curved metallic member 4 is attached to the 40 casing l by rivets orby soldering or in any other convenient way, so as to be rigidly andsecurely attached to the casing. This member 4 serves as a hinge memberor a member to which the bracket or holder 5 is connected by a hinge or45 pivot in such a way that this bracket or holder will be frictionallyheld in adjusted positions.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the bracket 5 is pivotedor hinged to the member 4 so as torbe frictionally held in ad- 50 justedpositions by a pair of spaced lugs 4' bent up from the member 4 betweenwhich lugs 4' other lugs 5 at the end of the bracket or holder 5 areplaced with a bolt 5 threaded at its outer end and'passing through thelugs 4 and 5. One

55 of the lugs 4' is threaded to receive the screwthreaded end of thebolt 6 and a sleeve 6' is placed between the lugs 5 through which sleevethe bolt 6 passes. The length of the sleeve 6 is approximately the sameas the distance between the lugs 5', so that when the bolt 6 istightened the lugs 4 are pressed against the lugs 5 to retain thebracket or holder 5 frictionally in whatever position it is moved aroundthe bolt 6 as a pivot.

The bracket or support 5 has at its outer end 10 oppositely extendingcurved arms 1, whose curvature corresponds to that of the casing l,s0that when this member 5 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 2, thearms 1 will extend partly around the casing I. The arms I are preferablymade long enough to extend slightly more than half way around the casingso that they will snap beyond the diamet'rical line and keep the bracketor holder 5 from being accidentally turned when not in use.

The outer ends of the arms 1 are preferably provided with parallel endsor extensions 8. When the device is used with flashlight casings thathave longitudinal corrugations the inner surfaces of the extensions 8 ofthe arms 1 are provided with small ribs 9 which snap into oppositevalleys of corrugations when the member 5 is folded back out of positionfor using, so that it is thereby securely kept in place.

The member 5 may be provided with a hole or opening it! near its outerend for convenience in hanging the same over the nail head or screw heador the like.

t will beobvious that the member 5 may be used as a bracket or hook forsupporting the flashlight, or it may be used as a handle by means ofwhich the user can carry the flashlight and point it in any desireddirection. By adjusting the member 5, for example as illustrated in Fig.

3, the flashlight can be placed upon a surface or 40 support in such away that the rays therefrom can be directed in practically any directionfrom the horizontal to the vertical, merely by adjusting the position ofthe member 5 and having its length suitable and the point at which it isattached to the casing l at the right place. It will be noted that eventhough the end of the flashlight casing i which rests upon the floor orthe like is round, the flashlight will not topple over because thespaced corners H together with the end of the casing provide a threepoint support for the casing. It will also be obvious that the user canplace the second and third fingers respectively on opposite sides of themember 5 near its outer end and curve the first and second jointsthereof to lie parallel to the portions 8 and between these portions,thus securing a grip by means of which the flashlight can beconveniently directed in all directions. Since the member isfrictionally retained in adjusted positions it will be turned while inuse to suit the conditions prevailing at the moment. It will also beobvious that the flashlight can be hung from rods, belts, ledges,automobile fixtures, etc., by hooking the ends of the extensions 8thereover in such a manner that the rods or the like extend at rightangles to the member 5 as shown in Fig. 3.

If desired, the shank of the member 5 may be provided with a somewhattight pivot or 'joint l2 so as to enable the same to be bentin the planeof the shank, thus enabling the light to be pointed in difierentdirections even when the flashlight is supported or swung so that itsarms I cannot be turned around the shankv of this member as an axis.

Iiclaim:

1. Means for supporting a flashlight in selected angular positionscomprising three members, the

first one of said members being attached to said flashlight, the secondone being hinged to the first one to move in a plane at an angle to theplane of movement of the second one, the construction and arrangementbeing such as to adapt said flashlight to be positioned in angularpositions above a support or depending from a support.

3. In a flashlight a hinged member attached to the casing ofsaidflashlight, the outer end of said member being provided with curvedarms corresponding to the curvature of the casing of said flashlight;said curved arms being long enough to extend at least half way aroundsaid casing, extensions on said arms parallel to said hinged member andribs on the inner sides of said extensions adapted to snap intocorrugations that may be provided along a flashlight casing.

BERNARD F. MULDOON.

